Fire kindling device



INVENTORS C.C. BRAMHALL E.F .SUTHERLAND 1952 c. c. BRAMHALL ET AL FIRE KINDLING DEVICE Filed Feb. 19, 1949 Patented Dec. 16, 1952 FIRE KINDLING DEVICE Caryl C. Bramhall and. Elizabeth F. Sutherland, Ridgewood, N. J.

Application February 19, 1949, Serial No. 77,422

17 Claims.

This invention relates to a fire kindling or isniting device particularly for use in fireplaces and the like.

It is the customary practice, in wood burning fireplaces, for the sake of appearance, when the fireplace is not in use, and for convenience when a fire is desired, to keep the fireplace set with logs upon the andirons or other sup-port. It is unsightly, however, to maintain paper and kindling beneath the logs, and usually when a fire is desired it is necessary to remove the logs, assemble and place the paper and kindling upon the hearth and then to replace the logs. This is not only inconvenient but produces a certain amount of dirt and untidiness.

Consequently, one of the objects of this invention is to provide a tire kindling device which may be used for igniting logs and other types of relatively slow burning solid fuel directly and without the necessity of employing supplementary kindling material, such as paper and kindling wood.

Another object is to provide an igniting device which will be small in size and which will be quickly ignitible to product rapidly a large amount of heat over an extended period of time.

Still another object is to provide an effective fire igniting device which willimpart variegated color effects to the fire-and in which such effects will persist over a long period.

Another object is to provide an active chemical containing igniting device which may be safely handled, stored and shipped.

' A still further object is to provide an igniting device satisfying the above conditions, which will be economical to produce, pleasing in appearance, and convenient to use.

It has been proposed heretofore to produce wax or tallow candle which will burn with a colored flame, by impregnating the wick with color producing salts or incorporating the same in the wax or tallow. Difiiculty has been experienced, however, in producing satisfactory colored flames in this manner due to the fact that only small amounts of chemicals can be retained in the wicks and, if incorporated in the wax, such salts, being relatively heavy, sink to the bottom of'the molten or soft area of the candle below the flame and do not feed into the flame. "The from the heat of the flame and remain below the reaction or vaporization point thereof, so that little or no color eifect is obtained therefrom. Such candles are ordinarily supplied with a central wick for producing light only, and the only heat developed is from the small quantity of molten wax drawn up into the wick. Devices of this nature have no application to the kindling of logs or other slowly combustible material.

Another object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a combustible ignition or kindling device in which an intensely hot flame is produced surrounding a large surface area of the device and in which color producing chemicals are maintained continuously in a sufliciently close relationship to the heat of the flame so as to become activated thereby.

A further object is to provide such color imparting chemicals in sufiicient quantity in the products of combustion of the kindling device so that they will condense or form a deposit on the logs or other fuel to impart a characteristic color or colors to the flames resulting from the combustion of such fuel.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In accordance with the present invention a log kindling device is produced from a combustible material such as Wax, tallow or a mixture of different kinds of wax, with Or without tallow, oils or other highly combustible fuel, such as rosin, and being so constructed that upon'ignition it produces a large volume of flame and an intense heat from a relatively compact body of material. This is accomplished by enclosing the combustible material in a suitable container of such shape as to have a large exposed top surface area and surrounding saidv area with a vertical peripheral wick functioning material and having extending through said material one or more horizontally extending wicklik layers substantially coextensive with the horizontal cross-section of the device. A startingor lighting wick may also be'provided for the peripheral wick. The peripheral wick causes the flame to expand rapidly from the starting wick S0138 to surround the exposed surface of combustibl material and to produce a cone of intensexheat over and around such surface, thereby to maintain the surface at a sufficiently high temperature to break down and vaporize the active chemical ingredients of the kindler and release the color producing chemicals therefrom. The horizontal wicklike layers serve to support and separate the color producing chemicals in separate layers and prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the container, thus maintaining an available supply thereof in active or vaporizable relation to the flame.

Preferably several horizontal layers of wicks or separators are provided at different depths within the combustible kindling material each of which supports and isolates an individual quantity of color producing salt. The individual horizontal wicks or separators may be of a porous or fibrous material of a combustible nature so that as the chemical contained between each separator is consumed, the separators will also be consumed to expose the succeeding layer of wax and color producing chemicals as the kindling device continues to burn. In this way a fresh supply of wax and color producing chem- 10211 is brought into use as the preceding layer is consumed, causing the color producing material to be released throughout the complete burning of the device.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a fire kindling device forming the subject matter of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section of the device of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the manner of assembling the device.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, the kindling device comprises an outer container 10 which may for economy be an ordinary crimped paper cup coated on both sides, as by spraying, painting or dipping, with a fire resistant compound. If desired, a dye of pleasing color may be incorporated with the fire resisting material. The cup I is provided about the base thereof with a hollow protecting cup H of metal, metal foil or paper backed foil, the function of which is to protect the hearth from the ingredients which may be released by ultimate burning or disintegration of the cup l0. For this purpose the protector H has its upturned edge I2 spaced or flared slightly away from the body of the cup 10. Preferably the cup II is formed by a disc of metalized material secured to the base of the cup I0 by any suitable adhesive and loosely crimped upwardly about the side of the cup I0. In practice it has been found adequate to secure the cup and base ll together by means of the fire proofing coating applied to the cup ID, by assembling these parts before such coating has dried.

Disposed within the cup Ill and spaced therefrom is an inner cup [3, preferably of folded or crimped paper, having an outwardly rolled edge 14. The spaced between the cups II) and I3 is filled with meltable combustible sealing material IB, such as wax or paraffin. A wick 11, provided at the upper peripheral edges of cups l0 and 13, may be composed of a fluffy fibrous material such as cotton batting, such wick protruding above the edges of the cups and serving additionally as a decorative element.

The cup 13 contains the main body of combustible and color producing materials, disposed therein in alternate layers of a fibrous wicklike material or separator l8 and color producing chemicals I9 impregnated with or contained in wax or paraffin. A sealing layer 20 of wax or similar meltable and combustible fuel covers the surface of the top layer 19 of color producing salt. A starting wick '2! embedded in the sealing coating 20 adjacent to the rim of the cup l3 extends above the top of the cup for convenience in igniting the kindling device.

The wax and color producing salts comprising the layers l9 are mixed in suitable balanced proportions such that the quantity of wax is suflicient to effect, by the heat produced thereby, substantially complete vaporization or burning of the chemicals contained therein and the chemicals themselves are selected and proportioned so as to react with each other to effect proper combustion. The preferred chemicals are cupric chloride, for producing a blue to green flame, strontium chloride (crimson), and potassium nitrate (violet), the latter compound being present in sufficient quantity to supply oxygen for combustion of the hydrocarbon wax, but insufficient to produce pyrotechnical effects. It has been found that a mixture containing three-fourths to one and one-fourth parts of potassium nitrate to one part cupric chloride, and three-fourths parts strontium chloride by weight will produce sufficient reaction with the hydrocarbon wax to release the color producing chemicals approximately uniformly throughout the burning life of the kindling device. A lesser quantity of potassium nitrate ordinarily is insufiicient for the purpose and materially greater quantities produce too rapid combustion. One part is preferred.

Other color producing salts, obviously, may be employed either alone or in combination with those specified and various types of waxes or waxlike combustible materials may be incorporated therewith. In the specification and claims, wherever applicable, the term wax or waxlike is employed in a generic sense to define both natural waxes and synthetic waxes and substances chemically similar to waxes, wax substitutes and wax equivalents. Among such substances are the hydrocarbon waxes, including paraffin, ceresin, ozokerite, and microcrystalline types such as wax tailings, mineral beeswax, and the like, vegetable waxes such as carnauba, montan and others, and animal waxes such as stearin, stearic acid, beeswax, tallow spermacite and the like. Also, synthetic waxes, such as hydrogenated montan wax and higher alcohols, and substances similar to waxes such as lanolin. It is preferred, however, to employ a wax such as paraffin since it is economical and burns with an intense flame.

It will be noted that each layer of color producing chemical is supported upon the underlying layer of fibrous wick material and thus prevented from settling down towards the base of the cup l3 as the wax with which it is impregnated softens and melts. Consequently each layer will be consumed in turn as the contents of the cup burn down. The wick layers l8 are also combustible and as the wax in immediate contact therewith burns away, the wick itself is consumed exposing the next layer of combustible and color producing material. Thus a renewable supply of salt is provided as the contents of the kindling device are consumed and as a consequence a flame rich in color producing chemicals is maintained throughout the entire burning period of the device, by virtue of which the salts deposit or condense upon the logs or other fuel being kindled so that the color spreads to substantially the entire contents of the fireplace and imparts a polychrome efiect to the flames from the burning logs. This colored flame persists for a long period after the contents of the kindling device have been consumed, traces of color ordinarily being evident until the original logs are substantially entirely consumed.

The color producing salts are extremely corrosive and hygroscopic in nature and for safety in handling, storing or shipping it is desirable that they be completely sealed from the atmosphere and from contact with the outer container. It is for this purpose that the top sealing layer 20 of clear wax is applied over the upper layer I9 of chemicals and further that the inner cup I3 is completely sealed from the outer cup by the intermediate layer of wax I6.

In the fabrication of the kindling device the inner cup 3 is first filled with alternate layers I8 of cotton batting or other fibrous separators and a dry mixture of the metallic salts, substantially to the level of the protective layer 20. A ring or annular disc of cotton batting I1 is then applied over the bottom of the cup I 3 and slipped up the slightly conical side thereof to engagement with the curled edge I4. Cup I is then filled with a predetermined amount of hot liquid wax so that when the inner cup is inserted into the outer cup, the wax will be displaced to fill the space between the cups I0 and I3 and engage the inner edge of the wick H, the outer edge thereof being deflected upward by the flange I5 of cup I!) so as to extend outwardly between the cups. The inner cup I3 is then filled with hot liquid Wax or waxlike material which flows down through the various layers of metallic salts and fibrous separators to form, upon cooling, 2. solid mass. Thereafter a thin layer of clear wax is poured in.

In use, it is only necessary to place the kindling device on the hearth beneath the logs to be fired without the addition of kindling or other readily ignitible material and to apply a match to the starting wick 2 I. The flame spreads rapidly from the wick 2| to wick I1 and then around wick IT. The rolled edge I4 of cup I3 also acts as a wick to spread the flame about the container. As a result a ring of flame is produced With tapers to form a continuous cone of flame over the surface of the cup I3 thus generating at this surface an area of intense heat which quickly melts the surface layer 20 and exposes the upper bed or layer of wax impregnated salt I9.

The heat causes a reaction to take place between the oxygen containing salt, potassium nitrate and the wax with which it is impregnated thereby generating an intense heat within the body of the top layer of the cup, sufficient to vaporize the salts and cause them to be drawn into the conical flame where in part they become ionized to produce their characteristic color in the flame, the non-ionized salts being carried upwardly by the products of combustion and condensing or depositing on the log barrier above the cup from which location they are subsequently heated and ionized as the logs become consumed.

The separators I8 serve to isolate the underlying layers of ingredients and to insulate them thermally so that combustion of each successive layer is delayed until consumption of the next higher layer and the intermediate separator has been effected. Thus the color producing salts continue to be liberated until the contents of the cup are substantially entirely consumed.

The inner paper cup I3, of course, is burned away as the wax level lowers therein and the outer cup I 0 is also consumed although the fire resistant coating thereon prevents it from becoming ignited below the burning line. As the wax level lowers. the annular wick I1 floating thereon follows the level of the wax thereby supplying a wick feed therefor until the supply of wax becomes exhausted. Eventually the entire kindling device becomes consumed with the exception of the metallized base I I which remains intact to protect the hearth from wax and chemical stains as the base of the outer cup In finally burns through.

It will be noted that two distinct sources of heat are provided. The outer ring of wax I6 fed through the wick I! is one source serving the double function of supplying heat directly to the logs and providing the heat necessary to initiate combustion of the wax and salt mixture which serves as the second source of heat with the dual function of liberating the color producing salts and supplying igniting heat to the logs. The rate of combustion of the central mass is determined largely by the rate of combustion of the outer ring since, as the level of the outer ring lowers, it accelerates combustion of the inner ingredients to approximately that level.

It is obvious, of course, that many variations may be made in the physical arrangement of the parts and in the location of the ingredients, without departing from the essential attributes of the invention. The more important features reside in the arrangement of the color producing ingredients and associated combustible material in separated layers or sections and in the provision of a separate source of heat for reacting the contents of successive layers or sections at a predetermined rate.

In this connection it should be noted that the outer cone of flame isolates the inner mass from external air so that the combustion of the inner mass is in a large part dependent upon the rate of release of oxygen from the oxygen containing salt and therefore predetermined by the initial composition of the mass.

What is claimed is:

1. A fire igniting device comprising a container having therein a mixture of solid hydrocarbon fuel and an oxygen containing salt, said container having therein at least one fibrous separator serving to divide said mixture into a plurality of separate layers and combustible means within said container for producing heat independently of said mixture for causing reaction between the inredients of said mixture.

2. A fire igniting device comprising a container having therein a mixture of a solid hydrocarbon fuel and the nitrate of a metal, said container having therein at least one fibrous separator serving to divide said mixture into a plurality of separate layers and combustible means within said container for producing heat independently of said mixture for causing reaction between the ingredients of said mixture.

3. A fire igniting device comprising a container having therein a mixture of a waxlike material and an oxygen containing metallic compound, said container having therein at least one fibrous separator serving to divide said mixture into a plurality of separate layers and combustible means within said container for producing heat independently of said mixture for causing reaction between the ingredients of said mixture.

4. A fire igniting device comprising a container having therein a mixture of a meltable solid hydrocarbon fuel and an oxygen containing metallic compound, a layer of meltable solid hydrocarbon fuel within said container forming a vertical peripheral wall surrounding said mixture and a wick in contact with said layer and conforming to the contour of said peripheral wall.

5. A fire igniting device comprising a container having therein a mixture of a meltable solid hydrocarbon fuel and an oxygen containing salt, said mixture being disposed in a plurality of horizontally extending layers, combustible fibrous separators between said layers, a vertically disposed layer of waxlike material surrounding said mixture, within said container, and a wick in contact with the upper edge of said vertical layer and conforming to the contour thereof.

6. A fire igniting device comprising a first openended container having therein a mixture of a meltable solid hydrocarbon fuel and an oxygen containing salt, a second open-ended container spaced from the first container, a body of a Waxlike material disposed in the space between said containers, a wick disposed between said containers into contact with said waxlike material and extending upwardly above the open ends of said containers.

'7. A fire igniting and flame coloring device comprising a container having therein a mixture comprising a hydrocarbon fuel and one or more flame coloring salts, at least one of said salts being an oxygen containing compound, said mixture being disposed in a plurality of horizontal layers, fibrous separating means for said layers, a vertical layer of waxlike material surrounding said mixture and a wick in contact with said vertical wall and conforming to the contour of the upper end thereof.

8. In a fire igniting and coloring device, a first container composed of combustible material, a filling for said container comprising a waxlike material impregnated with at least one flame coloring salt, a second container of fire resisting material surrounding and spaced from said first container, a combustible fuel between said first and second containers and wick means for igniting said combustible fuel.

9. In a fire igniting and coloring device, a first container composed of combustible material, a filling for said cup comprising a waxlike material impregnated with one or more flame coloring salts including an oxygen containing salt, at least one horizontally disposed fibrous separator within said container disposed so as to divide said filling into a plurality of horizontal layers, a second container of fire resisting material surrounding said first container, a filling of waxlike material disposed between said containers and a wick in contact with said last-mentioned filling and conforming to and extending upward through the space between said containers.

10. In a fire igniting and coloring device, a first container composed of combustible material, a filling for said cup comprising a waxlike material impregnated with one or more flame coloring salts including an oxygen containing salt, at least one horizontally disposed fibrous separator within said container disposed so as to divide said filling into a plurality of horizontal layers, a sec ond container of fire resisting material surrounding said first container, a filling of waxlike material disposed between said containers, a wick in contact with said last-mentioned filling and conformin to and extending upward through the space between said containers and a metallic base for said outer container.

11. A fire igniting and flame coloring device comprising an open-ended container having side and bottom walls, said container being composed of slowly combustible material, a layer of wax on the inner surface of said container, a wick in contact with and conforming to the contour of the side wall of said container, said wick extending upwardly above said wall and a mixture contained within said wax layer comprising a readily combustible hydrocarbon fuel and one or more flame coloring salts including an oxygen containing salt.

12. A fire igniting and flame coloring device comprising an open-ended container having side and bottom walls, said container being composed of slowly combustible material, a layer of wax on the inner surface of said container, a wick in contact with and conforming to the contour of the side wall of said container, said wick extending upwardly above said wall, a mixture contained within said wax layer comprisin a readily combustible hydrocarbon fuel and one or more flame coloring salts including an oxygen containing salt and a metallic base for said container.

13. The method of preventing segregation of metallic salts in a wax body which comprises forming a pile comprising separate layers of said salts and porous separators and impregnating said pile with molten wax.

14. In a fire igniting device, a first container composed of a combustible material, a filling for said container comprising at least in part a waxlike material, a second container of a material having a slower burning characteristic from said first container and surroundin and spaced from said first container, a combustible material between said first and second containers, wick means for said combustible material extending upwardly above said container, and a'base for said device composed of a metallic material.

15. In a fire igniting device, a first container composed of a combustible fibrous material having substantially vertically extending peripheral walls and an open top, a filling for said container comprising a combustible hydrocarbon material, a second vertical peripheral wall surrounding and spaced from said first wall of said container and substantially coextensive therewith, a filling of a meltable hydrocarbon material between said walls, said latter wall being composed of a fibrous fire resisting material, and a wick in substantial contact with one of said vertical walls and extendin thereabove.

16. In a fire igniting device, a first container composed of a combustible fibrous material having substantially vertically extending peripheral walls and an open top, a filling for said container comprisin a combustible hydrocarbon material, a second vertical peripheral wall surrounding and spaced from said first wall of said container and substantially coextensive therewith, a filling of a meltable hydrocarbon material between said walls, said latter wall being composed of a fibrous fire resisting material, a wick in substantial contact with one of said vertical walls and extending thereabove, and a base for said container having a metallic surface.

17. In a fire igniting device, a first container composed of a combustible fibrous material hav, ing substantially vertically extending peripheral walls and an open top, a filling for said container comprisin a combustible hydrocarbon material, a second vertical peripheral wall surrounding and spaced from said first wall of said container and substantially coextensive therewith, a filling of a. meltable hydrocarbon material between said walls, said latter wall being composed of a fibrous fire resisting material, a, wick in substantial contact with one of said vertical walls and extending thereabove, and a non-combustible base for said container.

CARYL C. BRAMHALL. ELIZABETH F. SUTI-IER-LAND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 10 Number 10 Name Date Detwiler Feb. 7, 1888 Ludde Sept. 11, 1894 Lang Mar. 19, 1907 Geneslaw June 8, 1909 Yampolsky June 29, 1909 Toccaceli July 1, 1913 Smith et a1 Jan. 13, 1914 Stevens Oct. 11, 1927 Funke Feb. 12, 1929 Deutsch Aug. 13, 1940 Young Apr. 16, 1946 

1. A FIRE IGNITING DEVICE COMPRISING A CONTAINER HAVING THEREIN A MIXTURE OF SOLID HYDROCARBON FUEL AND AN OXYGEN CONTAINING SALT, SAID CONTAINER HAVING THEREIN AT LEAST ONE FIBROUS SEPARATOR SERVING TO DIVIDE SAID MIXTURE INTO A PLURALITY OF SEPARATE LAYERS AND COMBUSTIBLE MEANS WITHIN SAID CONTAINER FOR PRODUCING HEAT INDEPENDENTLY OF SAID MIXTURE FOR CAUSING REACTION BETWEEN THE INGREDIENTS OF SAID MIXTURE. 